Chapter 37

Then he collapsed softly to the ground.

I saw blood spurting out, some of it even splashing onto Virio's suit.

Then I put away my gun, my whole body shaking.

My hands were going weak, I could barely hold onto my gun.

These past few days, Virio had been training me.

But this was still my first time actually firing a gun, at a living person.

During training, we only used targets.

Virio had said his men could train with me too.

But I just couldn't get past that mental barrier, worried I might hurt someone.

But now, to save Virio, I had actually done it without hesitation!

Everything went black before my eyes, and I fell backward.

Just then, a pair of arms caught me, firm yet gentle.

I heard Vivian's voice. "It's okay, Ms. Lacey, you did great."

Then I knew nothing more.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in the nightclub's lounge, with Vivian beside me.

Virio and Charles were nearby too, talking about something.

After a while, seeing me wake up, Virio gestured for Charles to leave first, then I heard Charles and Luca's voices in the hallway.

Vivian stood up from beside me. "Elvira is fine, just a bit shaken."

She lowered her voice and said a few more words to Virio before leaving the lounge.

I watched in surprise as Virio walked toward me.

He seemed to have changed into a different outfit and looked unusually energetic.

I stared blankly at his clothes, suddenly remembering what happened before I passed out.

But my first words were: "How long was I out?"

Virio glanced at his watch and said quietly, "Just an hour. You can rest a bit more."

I shook my head and pushed myself up to sit, realizing I'd been lying on a couch.

There was a blanket covering me, clearly Vivian's care, so I sat up gently.

Seeing this, Virio quickly came over and patted my shoulder.

Then he sat down beside me, wrapping his arms around me and letting me lean against him.

The moment I rested against Virio's chest, my heart settled down.

This man was okay; I wasn't dreaming right now.

I gently bit my lower lip, then slapped my leg.

Seeing my series of little movements, Virio chuckled and asked quietly, "What's this about?"

I shook my head and told him, "I was worried everything just now was a dream."

As I spoke, my voice was hoarse and trembling.

This was my first time killing someone. Even just thinking about the scene made me shake.

Virio sensed my emotions and held me tighter, his strong arms wrapped around my chest.

I could feel the muscles throughout his body.

He said softly, "This isn't a dream. You did act just now, to protect me."

So he knew what I was afraid of.

I gradually calmed down, my hands gently holding onto his arms.

Then Virio's voice sounded in my ear. "The first time I killed someone, I was like you, shaking all over. But I didn't have time to think about it. Everything was waiting for me, too much to do."

Why was he suddenly talking about this?

To distract myself, I asked what the situation was.

Virio then spoke slowly, like telling a story, about his past experiences.

He said back then, his father was raising and training him.

But didn't give him much time to grow up.

When he was seventeen, his father dropped him in the wilderness with a pile of supplies and told him to survive on his own.

His father said he'd come back for him in a month.

And Virio looked at an abandoned cabin and the hunting rifle beside it, lost in thought.

From then on, he started learning how to survive in the wild.

"The first time I shot and killed something, it was a rabbit," Virio said.

That was equally hard for Virio. Not everyone is born ruthless.

Not everyone is born to be a predator.

He told me that when he killed that rabbit, he actually felt like throwing up and couldn't eat for a long time.

It wasn't until his body reached its limit that he finally built a fire and cooked the rabbit meat.

"Once you've done it the first time, the rest gets easier..." He told me about his first time killing a person.

It was because he had taken over gang conflicts, and soon ran into a problem. People like them faced countless problems daily.

So during a gang fight, he felt someone approaching him.

He didn't know who it was.

But he could feel that person was trying to control him.

He shot that person without hesitation.

Hearing this, I murmured, "If it wasn't to save you, I probably would have hesitated for a long time before pulling the trigger."

"That's why I'm saying you did the right thing. The situation was urgent. If you hadn't fired, his gun would have been aimed at me." Virio held me without any other movements.

I could feel that right now he had no desire for me, only respect and compassion.

"People like them aren't what we think. Elvira, I know your uncle raised you to be a proper heiress. But he never taught you one thing."

I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "This society is truly survival of the fittest, especially for people like us..."

"The only way to not be hurt by others is to protect yourself first. That might have been your belief all along. But for us, the second part needs to change."

I murmured, "The only way to not be hurt by others is to hurt them before they can hurt you?"

Virio nodded. "Exactly."

Only dead men told no tales.

That was the last thing Virio said to me.

Under his patient comfort and guidance, I gradually pulled myself together.

I asked him, "What about those people? Have you dealt with them already?"

"Yes, they're still cleaning up the scene outside, and we've caught a few people who are in the interrogation room," Virio told me.

Then I licked my lips and asked quietly, "Can I go see?"

Virio shook his head at first, but seeing my determined expression, he sighed. "The scene is actually pretty bloody. You just killed one person and passed out. I'm not sure you can handle what's in there."

But I replied firmly, "I can."

I knew I would grow up today.